The grand palace of Yuntai, heart of the Xian Empire, stood beneath a blood-red sky. Ominous clouds churned like a boiling ocean above it, casting long shadows across golden rooftops and jade-tiled courtyards. Within the Hall of Silent Accord — a dome-shaped chamber carved from black obsidian and veined dragonbone — twelve masked figures sat in a perfect circle.
Each wore robes denoting their status: red for war, silver for secrets, blue for tradition, and black for shadow.
"The heir has awakened," rasped the Shadow Mask, his voice low and cold. "The Jade Flame has answered him."
A tense silence followed. Then the War Mask slammed his fist on the table. "He must be eliminated before the mountain grants him the Second Flame!"
"No," the Silver Mask said softly. "If we strike now, we reveal ourselves. The prophecy speaks of convergence. If we disrupt the flow, the consequences could shatter even us."
A thirteenth figure sat silently at the edge of the room. Unlike the others, he wore no mask. His face was gaunt, pale as ash, with eyes like dying stars.
"Let him come," the figure murmured. "Let him burn brighter. That way, his fall will be magnificent."
---
Back in the Skyreach Mountains, Li Wei stood at the temple's edge, looking down into the valley below. The lotus-shaped spire now gleamed in broad daylight, visible from miles away — a beacon to allies and enemies alike.
"Are you certain we should leave it exposed?" Mei Ling asked, squinting at the glow.
"It can't be hidden now," Bo Qian said. "That kind of power is like setting a signal fire in the middle of the forest. Every sect, every beast, every scavenger will come."
Li Wei remained silent.
The lotus flame within him pulsed steadily — a calming rhythm beneath the storm in his mind. He'd felt Ji Yuan's final words still echoing within his soul: The one who walks willingly into shadow shall become the light the world forgot.
Was he ready to be that light?
---
They journeyed down the mountain trail, the world around them changing with every step. The air became denser, more oppressive. Birds stopped singing. The trees leaned inward like watchers whispering secrets to one another.
And then they saw it: smoke rising from a village at the base of the range.
Li Wei's heart tightened. "That's Chenyi Village."
Mei Ling paled. "That's miles away from the usual borderlands. What happened?"
They ran.
When they reached the outskirts, devastation greeted them. Houses reduced to cinders. Fields burned. Children crying in the arms of elders. Warriors — or what remained of them — lay strewn like broken dolls.
One man limped toward them. His robes were scorched, and blood stained the white of his beard.
"Run," he coughed. "They'll return at dusk. Shadowsteel soldiers. They bore no crest, no flag... only black."
Li Wei caught the man before he collapsed. "Shadowsteel? That's imperial…"
Mei Ling looked at him. "They're testing the border. Probing for something — or someone."
Bo Qian clenched his fists. "They've begun the purge."
---
In the ruins of the local shrine, they found a message carved into a wooden beam:
> "To the flame-bearer — your fire awakens the old gods. But beware: your light burns the eyes of tyrants."
Mei Ling touched the inscription. "Someone knew we'd come here."
"Or wanted us to see it," Li Wei muttered.
---
That night, as they camped in the shadow of the broken shrine, Li Wei could not sleep.
The flame within him flickered with unrest.
He stood by the riverbank, eyes on the moonlight dancing across the water. "How many more will die because of me?"
"You're not responsible for their evil," Mei Ling said behind him. She stepped closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But you are responsible for what you do with your power."
He turned to face her. "What if I'm not ready? Ji Yuan — he faced gods. I'm just…"
"You're more than you were yesterday," she said gently. "And tomorrow, you'll be more than today. That's what a Guardian does."
---
In the capital, beneath the imperial palace, a prison of obsidian and soulsteel lay hidden beneath the earth. There, chained in silence, sat a woman with silver eyes and hair like starlight.
She stirred for the first time in years.
The jailer bowed before her door, voice trembling.
"The Jade Flame has awakened."
The woman smiled. "Then the balance begins to shift."
She raised her eyes, and the walls around her cracked — just a little.
---
In the temple ruins, as Li Wei and his companions prepared to leave the burning region, an old man watched from a cliffside far above. He wore traveler's robes and leaned on a weathered staff crowned with a glowing crystal.
"The child walks the path," he murmured.
A raven landed beside him. "Too early?"
"Too late," the old man replied. "Much has already begun."
The raven tilted its head. "Will he survive the coming night?"
The old man sighed. "That is up to the fire inside him."
---